5-Nights Outback Contrasts from $3,141

Trafalgar

OFFER ID 1698055

Outback Contrasts - Small Group
Experience Central Australia's rugged beauty on this 6-day tour with a Small Group of up to 24 travellers accompanied by an expert Driver Guide. This adventure takes you to iconic landmarks like Uluru and Kings Canyon, where you'll witness ancient rock art and immerse yourself in creation stories. Enjoy guided tours, premium accommodation, and unique experiences like a 5-course degustation dinner under the stars. With expert guides and a small group, this tour offers an intimate and unforgettable journey through Australia's heartland. Book now for an extraordinary outback adventure! This trip is operated by our Australia and New Zealand Specialists at AAT Kings.

Dining Summary

5 Breakfast (B)
2 Dinner (D)

Must-see Highlights

Explore Alice Springs Overland Telegraph Station, Simpsons Gap in West MacDonnell Ranges, Kata Tjuta and Walpa Gorge & the base of Uluru
Discover wild harvest bush tucker with Indigenous chef & Central Australia’s Indigenous traditions, art and culture
Visit Uluru-Kata Tjuta and Watarrka National Parks, the Wanmarra Aboriginal Community
View inspiring Uluru Sunset

5 nights from $3,141 per person

Itinerary

Trafalgar Tours: Outback Contrasts - Small Group

Day 1 - Welcome to Alice Springs
Discover the stories of Alice Springs as you settle into the heart of the Red Centre. Meet your Driver Guide, whose insights bring this remote town and its character to life, then visit the historic Overland Telegraph Station for a glimpse into the region’s past. Later, deepen your connection to Country during a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience with Rayleen Brown, who shares her knowledge of Aboriginal native foods and the traditions behind them. Rayleen’s recipes have featured in Australian cookbooks, and she has appeared as a guest judge on leading culinary television shows. Naturally, there’s also the chance to taste the many flavours of the region’s bush tucker.
Accommodations: DoubleTree by Hilton

Day 2 - Alice Springs onto Kings Canyon
Begin your adventure from Alice Springs, travelling towards majestic Kings Canyon. Stop at Erldunda, known as the “Centre of the Centre”, where the Stuart and Lasseter Highways meet, before continuing to Kings Canyon Resort in Watarrka National Park. Explore the canyon creek bed track, following in the footsteps of the Luritja people who once found sanctuary among the Itara trees at the canyon’s base. As night falls, enjoy the “Under a Desert Moon” five-course dinner beneath the stars, featuring locally sourced produce and fine Australian wines. With a pool, restaurant and comfortable deluxe lodge rooms, Kings Canyon Resort provides a welcoming base for your Red Centre adventure.
Accommodations: Kings Canyon Resort
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 3 - Explore Kings Canyon
Gaze across the deep chasm at the edge of Kings Canyon on a spectacular 6km sunrise Rim Walk, passing the sandstone domes of the ‘Lost City’ and descending into the lush ‘Garden of Eden’. Alternatively, opt for a gentler stroll along the tracks surrounding the resort. Continue towards Ulu?u, visiting the local Wanmarra Community for the Karrke Aboriginal Cultural MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience. Learn about the Luritja and Pertame peoples’ spiritual connection to the land, discovering bush foods and traditional medicines used for spirituality and healing. Journey across vast desert landscapes to Curtin Springs Station, a working farming property, before arriving at world-famous Ulu?u. At the Cultural Centre, uncover the foundations of A?angu culture and hear important creation stories explaining how Ulu?u was formed. Continue to your resort, reflecting on the profound connection between people, culture and Country.
Accommodations: Desert Gardens
Meals: Breakfast

Day 4 - Discover Uluru and Kata Tjuta
Choose a slower start, or rise before dawn for the optional Sunrise Field of Light experience by artist Bruce Munro. Later, head to Kata Tjuta, where a walk through Walpa Gorge reveals the scale and beauty of these ancient rock formations. After free time for lunch, return to Uluru for a tour around its base and gain a deeper understanding of the cultural significance of this sacred site. As the day draws to a close, enjoy sunset drinks while the colours of the outback shift and Uluru glows in the fading light. The evening is at leisure, with the option to pre-book the exclusive Uluru Barbecue Dinner.
Accommodations: Desert Gardens
Meals: Breakfast

Day 5 - Uluru onto Alice Springs
Travel through the vast outback, where desert landscapes stretch to the horizon and camels, cattle and Atila, also known as Mt. Conner, punctuate the view. Pause at Stuart Wells, an authentic outback roadhouse, before continuing towards Alice Springs. Along the way, divert into the West MacDonnell Ranges to explore Simpsons Gap, where rugged cliffs and a permanent waterhole create one of Central Australia’s most striking natural settings. Back in Alice Springs, there’s time to relax before dinner.
Accommodations: DoubleTree by Hilton
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 6 - Farewell Alice Springs
Your Red Centre journey comes to an end this morning. For one final perspective on the outback, you may choose to join an optional hot air balloon ride and watch the landscapes unfold from above before your onward journey.
Meals: Breakfast

Featured Destinations

Uluru

The world's largest monolith, located 280 mi/450 km southwest of Alice Springs, is a truly stunning sight, especially at sunset when its burnt-orange glow seems to set the desert on fire. Called Uluru by the Aborigines, the sandstone rock is huge (1,140 ft/350 m high, 9 mi/13 km around) and reddish brown most of the time, taking its color from iron oxide, or rust. Its presence is made more powerful by the mostly barren plain that surrounds it and disappears into the horizon. In 1985, ownership of the rock was returned to its traditional owners. It is rarely referred to as Ayers Rock anymore.

Considered sacred by the Aborigines for thousands of years, the rock is now part of the expansive Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, one of the country's biggest tourist attractions. The park includes the Olgas/Kata Tjuta, a cluster of 36 giant domelike rock formations about 20 mi/35 km west. If you want to visit both, plan to spend at least one night. You'll want to see Uluru at both sunset and sunrise. The Olgas are equally magnificent at both times of day. (But be prepared to jockey for position at either place; tour buses disgorge hundreds of visitors laden with binoculars, cameras and video equipment.)

Start your visit to the park with a stop at the cultural center. Run by the Anangu (a local Aboriginal clan), the center is a wonderful introduction to the unusual rock formations and to the people who lived in their harsh shadows for centuries. Aboriginal artwork and artifacts are on display. You can also see re-enactments of life in the bush and watch informative videos. Most visitors explore the rock as part of a tour led by park rangers, Anangu guides or private tour companies. But you can also pick up a printed walking guide at the cultural center and set off on your own.

Only one trail leads to the top of the rock, and it's fairly steep—those with heart conditions, high blood pressure, asthma, fear of heights or the like should remain earthbound. The Anangu prefer you walk around—not on—the rock because of its spiritual importance. If you do decide to climb it, allow two to three hours and take along a snack and plenty of water. The view from the top is spectacular, but hiking around the base is more educational and less strenuous. We suggest taking one or more of the shorter walks that pass water holes and rock paintings, allowing you to observe the rock's many faces at a leisurely pace. (Walking around the entire base of the rock takes about three hours.)

Allow at least an afternoon to visit the Olgas/Kata Tjuta. A frequent debate among visitors is whether the Olgas outshine the rock. It's a close call—the Olgas are taller, reaching 1,790 ft/545 m at the highest point. Made of conglomerate (pebbles and boulders cemented together by mud and sand), they are off-limits to climbers, but you can explore some of the valleys and chasms between the rocks.

Most visitors fly to Uluru or drive from Alice Springs. About the only place to stay in the area is the Ayers Rock Resort, or Yulara, whose five hotels and a campground can accommodate visitors in all price ranges. Longitude 131 is a magnificent safari camp with 15 luxury tents. Dozens of tours leave from Ayers Rock Resort, including sunrise camel rides around the rock, sunset champagne dinners in the desert, Aboriginal culture tours and stargazing. You can also rent a car there and explore on your own.

Because of the excessive heat in summer, the best time to visit is April-November (winter in Australia). Always take along plenty of drinking water. If you are flying to the Outback, we suggest going overland one way from Alice Springs (four to five hours) but flying the other way—the desert drive is scenic, but it can be tedious the second time around. http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/uluru.

Kings Canyon

Alice Springs

Vacation Details

Valid Date Ranges

06/14/2027 - 06/19/2027

from $3,141 per person *

06/24/2027 - 06/29/2027

from $3,141 per person

07/15/2027 - 07/20/2027

from $3,141 per person *

08/05/2027 - 08/10/2027

from $3,141 per person *

08/26/2027 - 08/31/2027

from $3,141 per person *

* This departure has been designated a guaranteed departure by the operator, meaning that the minimum number of guests has been met, although still subject to weather and other conditions.

Prices Start At

from $3,141 per person

Length

5 Nights

Air City

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Vacation Rating

Deluxe
Fine dining, on-site bars or lounges and room service with extended hours are characteristic of deluxe establishments. Guest services usually include valet parking, concierge services, baggage assistance and laundry services. Other on-site facilities often include shops and boutiques, full service spas, full fitness facilities with pools and tennis courts. Business amenities may include available up-to-date technology and support staffs available for services. Attention to detail is apparent in the guestrooms which typically have stylish furnishings, quality bedding and bath products and often provide an evening turn down service.

Remarks

Trip prices are per person, land only, based on double occupancy and reflect applicable discounts. Trip prices and discounts are subject to change. Airfare is additional. Tour prices, dates and itineraries are correct at the time of the website going live, however are subject to confirmation at the time of booking. Other restrictions may apply.

All fares are quoted in US Dollars.

OFFER ID

1698055

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